Second quarter of 2000

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The UK Minister for the Environment and La Hague Discharges

WISE-Paris, 19 June 2000

[Posted 19/06/2000]

In a series of written answers to parliamentary questions the UK Secretary of State for the Environment declares that he has no "recent data on emissions" of the La Hague reprocessing plants (see hereunder). In fact, the radioactive discharges have increased substantially since the beginning of the 1990s for many radioactive isotopes in gas form.

For example between 1990 and 1999:

- Carbon-14 releases have increased by a factor of 8 (19 TBq in 1999),
- Krypton-85 by a factor of 5 (300 000 TBq in 1999),
- Tritium by a factor greater than 3 (80 TBq in 1999).

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Questions and Answers
United Kingdom House of Commons

Cap de la Hague (Radioactive Gases)

Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will estimate the concentrations of radioactive gases detectable above East Sussex which can be identified as having originated from Cap de la Hague. [124236]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 June 2000]:
Under Article 37 of the Euratom Treaty, the European Commission must be satisfied that no contamination of another member state will result before any routine releases of radioactivity can be authorised; this is the case in respect of Cap de la Hague.
Environmental monitoring programmes carried out in southern England have detected no elevated levels of radioactivity above normal background. Any evaluation in the levels of ambient gamma dose rate in the UK would be immediately detected by the RIMNET network of continuously operating monitors, several of which are located along the South Coast of England.

Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent discussions he has had with the French authorities in respect of emissions from Cap de la Hague. [124217]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 June 2000]:
There have been no recent discussions between my Department and the French authorities in respect of emissions from Cap de la Hague.

Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what recent data he has obtained in respect of emissions from Cap de la Hague. [124218]

Mr. Meacher [holding answer 5 June 2000]:
No recent data on emissions from Cap de la Hague have been received.

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